Tree Removal in Poway, CA

Tree Removal in Poway comes with a local rulebook. The city's Urban Forestry Ordinance, Chapter 12.32 of the Poway Municipal Code, governs how trees are planted, trimmed and removed. Removing a tree on public property needs a permit from the Public Works Department, and on private property the city says Development Services approval is needed before removing certain species. Poway incorporated on December 1, 1980, calls itself "The City in the Country," and has held the Tree City USA designation every year since 1999, so this is not a place where you should assume a big tree can come down without a phone call.

Which trees get attention

The city does not list the regulated species on its forestry page, which is why we ask Development Services before cutting a large native tree. Poway's Heritage Tree program gives a sense of what the city values: the Poway Oak was its first Heritage Tree, and the list includes the Aubrey Oak, the Poway Oak Grove, the Kent Sycamore, the Sycamore Grove, the Garden Road Park Sycamores and the Porter Pine. Heritage Trees are on public property or right-of-way, but if you own a mature coast live oak or sycamore, assume it deserves a careful look first.

Two big fires in four years

Major portions of Poway were evacuated during the 2003 Cedar Fire and the 2007 Witch Creek Fire. Lots here are big by San Diego standards, many back onto open space or reserves like Blue Sky Ecological Reserve, and eucalyptus, pines and overgrown ornamentals near houses are common. Fire-season work is a large share of what Poway homeowners ask about: removing dead trees, lifting canopies, and clearing limbs off roofs.

A hot, dry inland climate

Poway averages about 13.55 inches of rain a year, its July highs average 82 degrees, and it has recorded 114 degrees. Drought-stressed trees in that kind of heat can shed big limbs on calm days, especially eucalyptus. If a tree has dropped limbs before, a closer look is worth it before you park under it again.

How a Poway job usually goes

• We visit, identify the species and measure the trunk.
• If it is an oak, sycamore or another native that might be regulated, you or we check with the city before any cutting.
• For trees in a public right-of-way, Public Works handles the permit question.
• Once cleared, we schedule the work, protect the yard and fences, and haul or chip the wood as agreed.
• Stump grinding is quoted separately so you can choose.

Pruning instead

A lot of Poway calls end with a pruning plan rather than a removal. Thinning a coast live oak's crown, removing deadwood from a sycamore, or reducing a limb that reaches over the roof can solve the problem and keep a tree the city and your neighbors value. We follow ANSI A300 pruning standards and do not top trees.

Talk to us

Call (760) 546-9994 or send photos through the form. We will come out, tell you what we see, and write up a price that includes cleanup. Get a free estimate